The Family Cookbook Project

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  • Keeping Your Cookbook Contributors Motivated

    iStock_000004951192XSmall1As with any family project, getting everyone to contribute can be a challenge, especially if they have not seen the end product beforehand.

    Here are some tips to keep your contributors motivated:

    The more the merrier – Be sure to include everyone, not just the great cooks. Everyone likes to be asked to participate and the more you invite, the more recipes you’ll likely get. To add contributors and send an email invitation, > Use the Invitation Tool

    Set a reasonable deadline – Set the submission deadline on the “Project Information Editor” page, but don’t set it too far in the future. We all tend to put off whatever we can and contributing recipes is often one of those things. A month is usually enough time to give everyone to find the recipes they want to contribute and get them entered. Two things to remember: most of the recipes will come in just in time for the deadline and second, you can always extend the deadline if you want more recipes.

    Send regular updates – Use the Reminder Tool to email some or all of your contributors on a regular basis. Remind them of the deadline and ask them to meet a specific goal, like “please add one or two recipes to each category”.

    Target the biggest recipe boxes – Every family has a handful of people who are known for their cooking (you are most likely one of them in your family!). Send a personal message to them either using the remainder tool or reaching out by telephone, Facebook or with a personal visit. People are flattered when their skills are recognized. Let them know the cookbook would not be complete without their contributions.

    Ask for specific recipes – Send a reminder to everyone asking for a specific recipe from your family’s past that will get everyone thinking of past gatherings. Include your memories of that dish or the person who created it. It might help remind everyone why putting together a family cookbook is important.

    Use social media – As you add your own recipes to your family cookbook, it is easy to post them to Facebook or pin them to Pinterest. Sharing your recipes this way shows other family members that you are contributing and shows them they should as well.

    Bill Rice is Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!

  • What They Are Saying About FamilyCookbookProject.com

    cookbook_logo1“Writing this little cookbook has been one of the most positive experiences of my life and it was made possible by the Cookbook Project and their OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE team. Chip worked with me – and kept working with me – until the proof was off to be printed. He NEVER complained or even acted agitated as we worked together on every detail of this beautiful little cookbook that is certain to be a treasured heirloom in our family for many, many years. This company is first class, and I would not ever hesitate to recommend them to anyone planning to do their own projects. I will certainly use them again and highly recommend you give them a try as well. I can say with much certainty, you will love them and their beautiful work.”
    –Donna Couch, Editor, “OUR FIRST MESS”

    “I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I LOVE this site and the options it gives me. Recently my daughter moved out. I was compiling a cookbook for her to use once this happened. As it turns out, I’ve given her electronic access to it and she is using it already incomplete! Fantastic! Hoping to get it complete in the next year and in print for my nephew and niece also and anyone else in our extended family that would utilize it. Such a great option to making the transition into adulthood but also have a taste of home at their fingertips.”
    –Lisa Jones, “Mom! What’s That Recipe?”

    “I am thrilled with my tiny baking book. It was a lot of fun to do and I am having fun giving copies away. My original plan was much more elaborate, but as I grew older and slower the book shrank to a tiny drop of the old recipes that I wanted to save and share. To my horror I discovered I didn’t include anything chocolate, therefore nobody will ever believe I wrote it! Thank you for doing such a lovely job, and so very quickly. I hope to order more copies in the new year.”
    –Thelma Schmidt, “I Love to Bake”

  • Ready for a family food fight?

    ABCABC’s “Family Food Fight” is on a search for the most food-savvy families in the country and could be coming to a city near you! Don’t miss out on the opportunity for your family to serve up some delicious dishes and crazy competition.

    Based on Australia’s hit format and hosted by restaurateur, food maven and New York Times best-selling cookbook author Ayesha Curry, “Family Food Fight” will feature eight families from across the country sharing a common kitchen and a common goal: to claim the title of America’s No. 1 Food Family and take home a $100,000 cash prize. Family teams will pull out their best culinary moves in the kitchen, serving up authentic family dishes and drama. Tapping into each family’s uniquely diverse cultural heritage, along with their countless culinary influences, “Family Food Fight” will take homestyle cooking to a new level as family recipes rich in tradition and shared over generations are put on display.

    Calling all home cooks – do you and your family dominate in the kitchen? Whether you enjoy cooking delightful desserts or a fancy feast, incredible Italian food or a great tasting burger, we want to hear from you! If you think your family has what it takes to become America’s No. 1 Food Family, fill in the pre-registration form, cook your favorite dish and head down to an open call. Please visit familyfoodfightcasting.com for complete details on how to apply.

    Families must consist of three or more members to participate. All family members planning to compete must be at least 18 years old and should be home cooks and related in some way. Must be a legal U.S. resident; other eligibility requirements apply.

     

  • It’s the Dog Days of Summer!

    bbqplatter1It’s August. It’s hot! But fall and the holidays are going to come quicker than you think. You still have plenty of time to get your cookbook ready for Thanksgiving get-togethers. Just remember, it will take us 2-3 weeks to print and get your cookbooks to you. So plan to finish up by the first few days of November. That’s just 10 weeks away.

    Right now is the perfect time to get everyone involved – and print your book for the holidays!

    Add to the Story

    Our feeling at Family Cookbook is “Behind every recipe you love is a story you want to share!” And we have added an awesome new feature to your cookbook! Every recipe has always offered a personal notes/comments field for a contributor when they add it to the cookbook – so they can tell their story about the recipe.

     We have added an “Add to the Story” button on all recipes – so any contributor you have can add their own comments and stories to someone’s recipe. As editor, you can even have these stories added to the printed cookbook!

    Check it out on any of your recipes!

    Get Our App for Your Phone!

    Get the Family Cookbook Recipes App for iPhone and Android! You don’t always have to have a printed cookbook to use your recipes – you can always access them from the web on any PC, Mac or iPad with a nice larger screen. But what about your phone? Well, we have an app for that! Here are links to get the one for your phone:

    iPhone App here
    Android App here

    Great Cookbook Accessories!

    Need a nice cookbook holder for the kitchen? How about a really nice 3-ring binder for when you print on your own? Check out our Cookbook Accessories Shop and see all the fun things we have!

    Start Your Own Cookbook!

    If you had this email forwarded and would like to create your own cookbook, start by clicking this link – have fun!

    Bill Rice and Chip Lowell
    Publishers
    Family Cookbook Project
    Cookbook Blog

  • Copyrighting and Proper Usage Of Recipes

    One issue that comes up regularly for family cookbook project editors is the topic of copy-writing recipes and proper usage. While we at the FamilyCookbookProject.com are not lawyers and do not give legal advice, our research shows that recipes cannot generally be copyrighted. 

    At the same time, it does not make it right to simply take credit for other people’s work. One way to avoid this is to give credit where credit is due. If your contributor submits a recipe that they originally found in a magazine or cookbook, it is appropriate to list the source in the notes section of the recipe.

    A few articles of interest in this topic

    Copyright Office flyer on recipes
    http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl122.pdf

    Copyrighting Recipes
    http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/copyright/copyright-realworld/recipe-copyrighting.html

    Questions & Answers – Copyrighting Recipes
    http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/CookbookAdvice.htm

    Bill Rice is Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!

  • 3 Ring Binding Now Available from Family Cookbook Project

    IMG_8389A family cookbook is a living thing. New recipes are always being tried and added. Many people like to have a three-ring binder for their cookbooks so that adding recipes is quick and easy.

    We are excited to offer 3-ring binders as an option for our Family Cookbook Project members. A 3-ring binder will be the same great size as our traditional cookbooks but also have the name of the cookbook on the spine. The binder itself is quite a bit larger than just the pages – about an inch all around or so. The binding opens to allow you to add additional recipes as you go. The one difference between the two binding styles is you can’t have inside front or back cover content with the new 3-ring binders.

    IMG_8391In the Book Options and Design tool, you can choose from our standard coil binding in black or white or the new 3-ring binder options. The cost for the 3-ring binding is slightly higher than the coil binding because of the cost of printing.

    At Family Cookbook Project we are always looking for new ways to make your cookbooks better for you. We have other exciting announcements coming so stay tuned!

     

  • Rating Your Favorite Recipes

    StarsCreating a printed personal cookbook on FamilyCookbookProject.com can be a rewarding experience, but your interaction with the website does not have to stop there.

    A majority of people who have created cookbooks continue to use the website as an online resource either from their desktop computer or by using our “award-winning” mobile app.

    One fun thing to do is to rate the recipes you use from your cookbook.

    Rating recipes is easy. Go to the “view recipes by contributor” and find the favorite recipe that you have added to the cookbook so far. Click on the title of the recipe to view it.  Right under the title is something that says “Rate this recipe” and 5 gray stars. To rate this recipe, simply click on the last star of your score. So if you think it is a “5 star” recipe, click on the last star. If it is a “4 star” recipe, click on the fourth star and so on.

    You can also click in between to stars to give it a 4.5 star rating!

    The next person who views the recipe will see your rating (although they will not know it came from you) and will be able to leave their own rating.

    Over time you will see how many people rated your recipes and how much they liked them. It is one more way FamilyCookbookProject.com helps to build a dialog around your recipes.

    Give it a try today and invite the others in your cookbook to do the same!

  • Cookbook Cover Selection Tool

    covertoolHow do you select a great cover for your family cookbook? You use our Cookbook Cover Selection Tool. Part of the cookbook design section, this tool displays images of each professionally designed cookbook cover that users can select with a single click.

    The covers are divided into categories, including: Family, Farm, Food, Fundraising, General, Holiday, Kitchen, Religious, School, Wedding. There is also an option to see all of the covers at the same time. New categories and covers are already in the works and will be announced shortly.

    Users also have the option to create their own custom cookbook cover and upload that to the Family Cookbook Project Website.

    To view the Cookbook Cover Selection Tool, log in to your editor’s account and select “Book Options and Design”. Here you will see the cover categories displayed with a “+” next to it. Click on the category label to expand the section and see the covers associated with that category. It’s that simple.

    In addition to cookbook covers, divider options and recipe layout options have been upgraded to use the same technology to display options in a convenient, easy to use arrangement.

     

  • Holidays are the Best Time to Start a Family Cookbook

    FamilyEatingTo most of us, the year-end holidays are a time of family, friends and a lot of food.  While these times can be hectic with all of the running around that needs to be done, it is also the best time to start a family cookbook project says one expert.

    “Many of the family holiday traditions start in the kitchen and center around the meals we serve our family and guests at this time of the year, says William Rice, Founder and Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project. “What better way to celebrate our family food traditions than to preserve them for future generations in a family cookbook. There is no better time to start planning a family cookbook than over a wonderful meal during the holidays”.

    A successful family cookbook needs at least one dedicated individual to lead the project as editor. This person gets the project off the ground and invites family members to contribute recipes.  Once a labor intensive task, now families are using the Internet to simplify the project.  “A website, such as www.familycookbookproject.com, can provide step by step instructions and tools to help the family member serving as cookbook editor to contact others and encourage them to enter their favorite recipes directly into the online system,” says  Rice “The editor then simply reviews and edits the recipes, selects printing options, and sends the cookbook to be printed.  The finished printed cookbooks are received in a few weeks time and can be enjoyed and preserved forever.”

    Here are some tips from Familycookbookproject.com to help make your family’s personalized cookbook a success:

    Start talking about the project over dinner – Enjoying the food and dishes we love while being asked to contribute recipes will make the value of the project more real and worthwhile.

    Have a sign up list for those who want to participate – Get everyone’s telephone number and email address in one place. This will help when it is time to be in contact with them over the project.

    Pass out recipe forms after the meal – Having printed recipe forms lets people know what they need to provide and shows them how little work contributing will be.

    Invite everyone to participate – Don’t just invite the family cooks. Everyone has at least one recipe that they can contribute to the cookbook. Use email to invite and stay in touch with contributors. Let them see what others have submitted to encourage them to keep adding their best recipes.

    Set a deadline – Set a deadline one or two month in the future to have all of your recipes submitted. Most people work better if they know they face a hard deadline. If you don’t have enough recipes at the deadline, you can always extend it.

    Keep in touch – After the holidays, keep in touch with everyone via email. Send regular updates and let then know who is participating and who is not.  Set a goal to have every family member contribute at least one recipe so they can be listed in the list of contributors.

    Consider using a Website, like Familycookbookproject.com, to help organize your family cookbook. Here are just some of the benefits of www.FamilyCookbookProject.com:

    – Editors can send contributors an email to invite them to participate in the family cookbook.  The site also makes it easy to send regular updates by email to some or all of the contributors.

    – Allows individuals to enter their recipes directly into the online family cookbook so it does not fall entirely on the editor.

    – Provides an easy way to share recipes online. Contributors have access to everyone’s recipes even before the final family cookbook is printed.

    – Provides many options for recipe layout and cover selections or allows you to create your own cover.

    Family cookbooks are an important way to preserve our mealtime traditions for future generations. With the passing of our loved ones comes the loss of treasured food traditions. A family cookbook ensures that the recipes from one generation can be passed on to the next as a treasured family heirloom. Once the recipes are preserved online, they can be shared with other family members by email, printed individual and included in your own professionally printed cookbook.

    For more information on how your family can make a family cookbook, go to www.familycookbookproject.com.

    About the Great Family Cookbook Project

    The Family Cookbook Project is dedicated to helping individuals and families collect and preserve the time-honored recipes that are so important to our family traditions. The Family Cookbook Project (www.familycookbookproject.com) was recently named the Best Family Website by the Web Marketing Association’s WebAward Competition for the second year in a row.  The website has helped thousands of families and groups coordinate the creation of personalized cookbooks by provides step-by-step instructions and online tools to create a valuable family heirloom.  Personalized cookbooks are also used by schools and church groups as important fundraisers.

  • Family Cookbooks Make Great Christmas Gifts

    FamilyEatingOkay, the important question of the month: “When is the deadline to ensure Christmas delivery of Michelle Rice’s Favorite Recipes?”

    Answer: Thursday, November 30th! There will be an extended deadline, but upgraded shipping will probably be required.

    Since personal family cookbooks make a great Christmas gift for both friends and family members, a great many people are working hard to get their cookbooks completed and ordered. That means the sooner your done and have placed your order, the sooner you will receive them!